Safety in numbers: abortion and the FDA.

• Author: Howley, Kerry
• Position: Mifepristone's kills pregnant women, bills proposed to stop the usage of the abortion pills; Food and Drug Administration - Brief article

FOR YEARS, pro-life groups have argued that abortion should be debated by state legislatures, not the federal judiciary. Now, just as South Dakota gears up for a historic challenge to Roe v. Wade, a cadre of congressmen wants a D.C. agency to step in.

In March, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) renewed calls to pass the RU486 Suspension and Review Act, which would force the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to suspend sale of Mifepristone, better known as the abortion pill. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) has sponsored similar legislation in the House. Both bills attack the drug not for its ethical implications but for its chemical content. "RU486 is a deadly drug that is killing pregnant women," DeMint argued.

Is it really? Backers of the bills point to five deaths associated with the drug since it was first approved for use in 2000. Drug maker Danco reports that 560,000 women have undergone the regimen since it was approved in 2000, and the FDA reports that four of the deaths involved...